Bluetooth enabled snake cam

ABSTRACT

A snake cam is provided with a camera mounted to a housing via a shaft. The shaft may be flexible or rigid. The housing includes components needed for operation of the camera but that need not be in close physical proximity to the camera, thus allowing the camera itself to have a relatively small size, which facilitates placement thereof in small places. The housing may include a wireless communication module, through which a mobile device may be connected to the snake cam. The mobile device may then be used to access or control one or more features of the snake cam.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/495,506, filed on Apr. 24, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,667,105, whichapplication is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to cameras, and more particularly to aflexibly mounted camera with wireless functionality.

BACKGROUND

The development of digital camera technology, the subsequentminiaturization of that technology, and the incorporation of digitalcameras into smartphones has resulted in a massive proliferation ofcameras, as well as a shift towards use of smartphone cameras ratherthan dedicated camera devices for capturing pictures and video.Smartphone cameras, however, and even more traditional digital cameras,have limited ability to capture images or video in tight spaces.Additionally, because cameras are typically fixed in position relativeto smartphone or digital camera housing in which the camera is provided,such cameras may not be useful for capturing images of objects in tightspaces that do not allow the smartphone or digital camera housing to beoriented so as to bring the object(s) of interest into the camera'sfield of view.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure describes a snake cam including a housing and acamera mounted to the housing via a flexible shaft. By adjusting theflexible shaft, the camera is capable of taking pictures or recordingvideo at any desired angle or orientation, regardless of the angle ororientation of the housing. In some embodiments, a snake cam comprises awireless transceiver, such as a Bluetooth module, to allow the snake camto transmit captured still images or video to an available receiver,whether for real-time viewing, for post-capture review, or for storage.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a snake camcomprises a housing, a camera, and a flexible shaft. The housingcomprises a processor; a wireless transceiver; at least one userinterface element; and a memory. The camera is external to the housing,and the flexible shaft connects the camera to the housing.

The camera may comprise at least one light emitting diode. The at leastone light emitting diode may provide a flash for the camera. The atleast one light emitting diode can be turned on and off by a user of thesnake cam. The camera may be configured to take pictures and recordvideo. The at least one user interface element may include a displayscreen. The display screen may be configured as a viewfinder for thecamera. The display screen may be a touchscreen, and the display screenmay be used to adjust at least one feature or setting of the camera. Thewireless transceiver may be configured to utilize a Bluetooth protocol.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a snake camsystem comprises a mobile device and a snake cam. The mobile devicecomprises a first processor, a first memory, and a display screen. Thesnake cam comprises a housing, a camera external to the housing, and ashaft connecting the camera to the housing. The housing comprises asecond processor; a wireless transceiver; at least one user interfaceelement; and a second memory. The snake cam is in wireless communicationwith the mobile device via the wireless transceiver.

The wireless communication may utilize a Bluetooth protocol. The shaftmay be flexible or rigid. The first memory may store instructions forexecution by the first processor that, when executed by the firstprocessor, cause the first processor to transmit a control signal to thesecond processor, via the wireless transceiver, that causes the secondprocessor to cause the camera to take a picture or record a video. Thefirst memory stores a mobile application, the mobile applicationcomprising a camera control module, an image storage module, and aviewer module.

According to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, a cameradevice comprises a camera mounted on a first end of a flexible shaft,the camera comprising a lens and at least one LED light; and a housingconnected to a second end of the flexible shaft, the housing comprisinga processor, a memory, and a wireless transceiver configured to utilizea Bluetooth protocol. The memory stores instructions for execution bythe processor that, when executed by the processor, cause the processorto control one of a plurality of functions. The plurality of functionsinclude adjusting a zoom of the camera; switching the camera from apicture-taking mode to a video-recording mode; causing the camera totake a picture, to start recording a video, or to stop recording avideo; and adjusting a focus of the camera.

The housing may comprise a user interface for causing the processor tocontrol one of the plurality of functions. The processor may control oneof the plurality of functions based on a signal received via thewireless transceiver. The LED light may operate as a flash for thecamera. The plurality of function may further include transmitting avideo feed from the camera via the wireless transceiver.

The terms “memory,” “computer-readable medium” and “computer-readablememory” are used interchangeably and, as used herein, refer to anytangible storage and/or transmission medium that participate inproviding instructions to a processor for execution. Such a medium maytake many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media,volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media includes, forexample, NVRAM, or magnetic or optical disks. Volatile media includesdynamic memory, such as main memory. Common forms of computer-readablemedia include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk,magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, magneto-optical medium, aCD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any otherphysical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, aFLASH-EPROM, a solid state medium like a memory card, any other memorychip or cartridge, a carrier wave as described hereinafter, or any othermedium from which a computer can read. A digital file attachment toe-mail or other self-contained information archive or set of archives isconsidered a distribution medium equivalent to a tangible storagemedium. When the computer-readable medium is configured as a database,it is to be understood that the database may be any type of database,such as relational, hierarchical, object-oriented, and/or the like.Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include a tangible storagemedium or distribution medium and prior art-recognized equivalents andsuccessor media, in which the software implementations of the presentdisclosure are stored.

The phrases “at least one”, “one or more”, and “and/or” are open-endedexpressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. Forexample, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C”, “at leastone of A, B, or C”, “one or more of A, B, and C”, “one or more of A, B,or C” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and Btogether, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together.When each one of A, B, and C in the above expressions refers to anelement, such as X, Y, and Z, or class of elements, such as X₁-X_(n),Y₁-Y_(m), and Z₁-Z_(o), the phrase is intended to refer to a singleelement selected from X, Y, and Z, a combination of elements selectedfrom the same class (e.g., X₁ and X₂) as well as a combination ofelements selected from two or more classes (e.g., Y₁ and Z_(o)).

The term “a” or “an” entity refers to one or more of that entity. Assuch, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more” and “at least one” can beused interchangeably herein. It is also to be noted that the terms“comprising”, “including”, and “having” can be used interchangeably.

The preceding is a simplified summary of the disclosure to provide anunderstanding of some aspects of the disclosure. This summary is neitheran extensive nor exhaustive overview of the disclosure and its variousaspects, embodiments, and configurations. It is intended neither toidentify key or critical elements of the disclosure nor to delineate thescope of the disclosure but to present selected concepts of thedisclosure in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detaileddescription presented below. As will be appreciated, other aspects,embodiments, and configurations of the disclosure are possibleutilizing, alone or in combination, one or more of the features setforth above or described in detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are incorporated into and form a part of thespecification to illustrate several examples of the present disclosure.These drawings, together with the description, explain the principles ofthe disclosure. The drawings simply illustrate preferred and alternativeexamples of how the disclosure can be made and used and are not to beconstrued as limiting the disclosure to only the illustrated anddescribed examples. Further features and advantages will become apparentfrom the following, more detailed, description of the various aspects,embodiments, and configurations of the disclosure, as illustrated by thedrawings referenced below.

FIG. 1 depicts a snake cam according to one embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the snake cam according to the embodimentof FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 depicts a snake cam according to another embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 4 depicts a system comprising the snake cam of FIG. 1 in wirelesscommunication with a mobile device;

FIG. 5 depicts a system comprising the snake cam of FIG. 3 in wirelesscommunication with a mobile device;

FIG. 6 depicts a block diagram of an application for execution on amobile device connected to a snake cam according to some embodiments ofthe present disclosure; and

FIG. 7 depicts a snake cam according to yet another embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before any embodiments of the disclosure are explained in detail, it isto be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its applicationto the details of construction and the arrangement of components setforth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Thedisclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or ofbeing carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that thephraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein ismeant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereofas well as additional items. Further, the present disclosure may useexamples to illustrate one or more aspects thereof. Unless explicitlystated otherwise, the use or listing of one or more examples (which maybe denoted by “for example,” “by way of example,” “e.g.,” “such as,” orsimilar language) is not intended to and does not limit the scope of thepresent disclosure.

Referring first to FIG. 1 , a snake cam 100 comprises a camera 104, aflexible shaft 116, and a housing 120. The camera 104 is a digitalcamera, and may use a CMOS image sensor or a CCD device to captureimages and/or record video. The camera 104 includes a lens 108, and maycomprise various features known to those of skill in the art, includingfor example optical zoom, digital zoom, autofocus, vignetting, opticalaberration correction, and optical image stabilization. The camera 104may be the same as or similar to a camera used in a mobile device. Insome embodiments, the camera 104 may be capable of capturing only stillphotographs, while in other embodiments, the camera 104 may be capableof capturing both still and video images. Manufacturers of such camerasinclude, but are not limited to, Toshiba Corp., ST MicroelectronicsN.V., Sharp Corp., Omnivision Technologies, Inc., and ON Semiconductor.

The camera 104 also comprises at least one, if not a plurality of LEDlights 112. The LED lights 112 may be configured to turn onautomatically in low-light conditions (as detected, for example, by alight sensor included in the snake cam 100. The LED lights 112 may alsobe configured to be turned on and off by a user. In some embodiments,the LED lights 112 may provide a quick flash of light (e.g. when thecamera 104 is used to take a picture), while in other embodiments theLED lights 112 may be configured to remain on for a longer period oftime, whether to provide light for operation of the camera 104 (e.g. forcapturing pictures or videos) or simply to act as a flashlight. In someembodiments, the LED lights 112 may be configured to emit light of aplurality of colors (e.g. of a plurality of wavelengths), which colorsmay or may not be selectable by a user of the snake cam 100. In otherembodiments, the LED lights 112 may be configured to emit light of onlyone color (e.g. of only one wavelength).

In some embodiments, the camera 104 may comprise a microphone or otheraudio transducer 114. The microphone 114 may be useful, for example, tocapture sound when recording a video or transmitting a live feed withthe snake cam 100.

The flexible shaft 116 may be made of any material that allows thecamera 104 to be repositioned relative to the housing 120, and formaintaining a particular orientation once placed in the particularorientation. The flexible shaft 116 may comprise metal, plastic, rubber,or any combination thereof. The flexible shaft 116 may be a singlepiece, or the flexible shaft 116 may comprise a plurality of pieceshingedly or otherwise adjustably connected one to another so as toimpart flexibility to the shaft 116. The flexible shaft 116 may behollow, so that one or more wires may pass therethrough to connect thecamera 104 to one or more components within the housing 120. Forexample, a wire or cable may run through the flexible shaft 116 for usein sending electrical signals to and from the camera 104. As anotherexample, a fiber-optic cable may run through the flexible shaft 116 fromnear an aperture of the camera 104 (or from near the lens of the camera104) to a light sensor contained within the housing 120. The flexibleshaft may be any desired length. For example, the flexible shaft may besix inches long, or a foot long, or two feet long, or four feet long, orten feet long.

The flexible shaft 116 may significantly affect the utility of the snakecam 100. For example, the flexible shaft 116 may be long or short. Theflexible shaft 116 may be used to hang the snake cam 100 over a rack,bar, beam, branch, hook, or other object. The flexible shaft 116 may bewrapped around a pole, tree, arm, or other object to hold the snake cam100 to the object. The flexible shaft 116 may be extended into a hard-or impossible-to-reach place, such as into an air duct, behind orunderneath furniture, into a crack or crevice, inside a computerhousing, or elsewhere to obtain an image of an otherwise hard- orimpossible-to-see object. The flexible shaft 116 renders the snake cam100 useful in many areas of endeavor that require working in tightspaces, including plumbing; automobile, aircraft, or other machinerepair; computer manufacture, service, and repair; electronicsmanufacturing and repair; and many others.

The housing 120 may be any manufacturable shape suitable for containingany components to be stored therein. Some shapes, such as a rectangularprism, may be particularly well-suited for embodiments of the snake cam100 comprising a screen 124, although such a screen may also be mountedon a flat or curved surface of a different shape. The housing 120contains various components associated with—and possibly even necessaryfor use of—the camera 104. Such components, many of which will bediscussed in greater detail with respect to FIG. 2 , may include thescreen 124, an on/off switch 128, a button 132, and a port 136.

The screen 124 may accomplish several functions related to the camera100. First, the screen 124 may be used as a viewfinder, so that a userof the camera 100 can see the subject matter captured within the fieldof view of the camera 124 and, if desired, take a picture or initiate orstop a video recording. The screen 124, which may be an LCD screen, anLED screen, an OLED screen, an AMOLED screen, a Super AMOLED screen, aTFT screen, an IPS screen, a TFT-LCD screen, or any other known varietyof screen, may be a touchscreen, and may be used to present virtualbuttons or other controls to a user. Such virtual buttons or controlsmay be useful, for example, for controlling optical or digital zoom orother camera features, for selecting whether to take a picture, stream alive video feed, and/or record a video; for capturing a screen shot of arecorded or live video; for controlling any LED lights 112 with whichthe snake cam 100 is equipped; and for accessing stored pictures and/orvideo.

The on/off switch 128 may be used to turn the snake cam 100 on or off.Although depicted here as a slider switch, the on/off switch 128 maycomprise any other type of switch, including a button or toggle switch.In some embodiments, a snake cam 100 may comprise one or more additionalon/off switches for such camera features as turning on or off a flashfeature (e.g. using the LED lights 112 as a flash), turning on or offthe LED lights 112 for use as a continuous light source/flashlight;turning on or off a wireless communication capability of the snake cam100; and/or turning on or off the screen 124. Slider switches may alsobe provided for selecting one of two or more options associated with acamera feature. For example, a slider switch may be provided forselecting between or among any two or more of taking photos, recordingvideo, and streaming a live video feed.

The button 132 may be used to trigger the shutter of the camera 104(when capturing photographs) or to first open and then close the shutterof the camera 104 (when capturing or recording video). The button 132(or similar buttons) may alternatively be used to control one or moreother features of the snake cam 100, including to turn the snake cam 100(or just the screen 124) on or off.

The port 136 may have one or more functions, including as a power portfor connecting the snake cam 100 to an external power source (whetherfor powering normal operation of the snake cam 100 or forcharging/recharging a battery of the snake cam 100), or for connecting amobile device or an external storage device to the snake cam 100 (e.g.to download or otherwise offload pictures and/or videos from the snakecam 100, or for transmitting a live video feed to a connected mobiledevice, or for gaining access to additional controls and/or settings forthe snake cam 100 via a connected mobile device, or to enable the snakecam 100 to access the Internet through a wireless transceiver of aconnected mobile device). In some embodiments, connection of a mobiledevice to the snake cam 100 via the port 136 allows a screen of themobile device to be used as a viewfinder for the camera 104, and furtherallows the mobile device to be used to control the operation of thecamera 104. The port 136 may be a USB port, a Lightning port, a Firewireport, an Ethernet port, or any other port through which data and/orpower may be transferred. Where the USB protocol is used, the wiredcommunication port 124 may be one or more of Type A, Type B, Mini-A,Mini-B, Micro-A, and/or Micro-B ports. Additionally, the snake cam 100may in some embodiments comprise a plurality of ports 136.

FIG. 2 depicts a block diagram of the components of the snake cam 100.According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the snake cam 100comprises a processor 204, a camera 104, LED lighting 112, a wirelesstransceiver 208, a user interface 212, a port 136, a poweradapter/supply 216, and a memory 220.

The processor 204 may correspond to one or multiple microprocessors thatare contained within the housing 120 of the snake cam 100. The processor204 may comprise a Central Processing Unit (CPU) on a single IntegratedCircuit (IC) or a few IC chips. The processor 204 may be a multipurpose,programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes thedigital data according to instructions stored in its internal memory,and provides results as output. The processor 204 may implementsequential digital logic, as it has internal memory. As with most knownmicroprocessors, the processor 204 may operate on numbers and symbolsrepresented in the binary numeral system. The processor 204 may executeinstructions stored in a firmware thereof, and may also executeinstructions stored in the memory 220. The processor 204 may be used tocontrol one or more aspects of one or more of the camera 104, the LEDlighting 112, the wireless transceiver 208, the user interface 212, theport 136, and the power adapter/supply 216. The processor 204 may alsobe used to read data from or to write data to the memory 220.

The camera 104, the LED lighting 112, and the port 136 are describedabove in connection with FIG. 1 .

The wireless transceiver 208 comprises hardware that allows the snakecam 100 to connect with a mobile device, such as a smartphone, tablet,or laptop, or with another computing or memory device equipped forwireless communications. The wireless transceiver 208 may in someembodiments enable the snake cam 100 to stream a live video feed to aconnected device, and may further enable the snake cam 100 to transmitpictures to a connected device. Still further, the wireless transceiver208 may enable the snake cam 100 to receive user input and/or commandsfrom a mobile device, including to modify one or more settings of thesnake cam 100, to cause the snake cam 100 to take a picture or to startor stop recording a video or transmitting a live video feed, or tocapture a screenshot of a recorded video or live video feed; orotherwise to access or utilize one or more features of the snake cam100.

The wireless transceiver 208 comprises a Bluetooth interface. In otherembodiments of the present disclosure, the wireless transceiver 208 maycomprise a Wi-Fi card, a Network Interface Card (NIC), a cellularinterface (e.g., antenna, filters, and associated circuitry), a nearfield communication (NFC) interface, a ZigBee interface, a FeliCainterface, a MiWi interface, a Bluetooth interface, a Bluetooth lowenergy (BLE) interface, or the like. Regardless of the protocol used bythe wireless transceiver 208, the wireless transceiver 208 may comprise,for example, a transmitter, a receiver, and an antenna, and may alsocomprise software or firmware needed to operate such components.

The user interface 212 may comprise one or more switches (such as theswitch 128), buttons (such as the button 132), displays (such as thedisplay 124), and/or other interface elements by which a user cancontrol one or more features of the snake cam 100 and, in someembodiments, through which information may be provided by the snake cam100 to the user. As discussed above, in some embodiments, for example, aslider switch 128 may be included on the snake cam 100 for controllingthe flow of electricity from the power adapter/supply 216 to theprocessor 204, the camera 104, the wireless transceiver 208, and/orother components of the snake cam 100. A button 132 may be used forcausing the camera 104 to take a picture, start or stop recording avideo, start or stop transmitting a live video feed, or capture ascreenshot of a recorded video or live video feed. The user interface212 may further comprise one or more buttons, slider bars, otherphysical switches, or virtual controls (provided via a display such asthe display 124) for controlling such aspects of the operation of thesnake cam 100 as pairing or otherwise connecting the snake cam 100 to anexternal device via the wireless transceiver 208; zooming in or out withoptical or digital zoom; turning image stabilization features on or off;selecting whether to use a display 124 or a connected mobile device orboth as a viewfinder; and selecting whether to take a picture, capture ascreenshot, record a video, or stream a live video feed. In someembodiments, the user interface 212 may comprise one or more LED lightson the housing 120 or the camera 104, which may illuminate in variouspatterns or sequences as controlled by the processor 204 to communicatevarious pieces of information to a user of the snake cam 100.

Although the foregoing description refers primarily to slider switches,buttons, and displays, any input devices may be included in the userinterface 208 and used to control the functions of the snake cam 100,including switches, slider bars, toggles, rocker switches, rotaryswitches, rheostats, and potentiometers. The user interface 212 maycomprise a keyboard. Additionally, non-mechanical input devices may beused instead of or in addition to mechanical devices. For example, theuser interface 212 may comprise one or more touchscreens, which maydisplay a plurality of virtual switches or controls. Similarly, the userinterface 208 may include any output device, including but not limitedto a screen and LED lights, for conveying relevant information from thesnake cam 100 to a user thereof.

The power adapter/supply 216 may comprise circuitry for receiving powerfrom an external source and accomplishing any signal transformation,conversion or conditioning needed to provide an appropriate power signalto the processor 204, the camera 104, and the other powered componentsof the snake cam 100. An external power source may be connected to thepower adapter/supply 216 via the port 136 or via a dedicated power portof the power adapter/supply 216. Additionally or alternatively, thepower adapter/supply 216 may comprise one or more batteries forsupplying needed power to the snake cam 100. Such batteries may be usedfor normal operation, or such batteries may provide backup power (e.g.when power from an external source is not available). In embodimentscomprising one or more batteries, the batteries may be removable andreplaceable, and/or the batteries may be rechargeable. In embodimentswith rechargeable batteries, the snake cam 100 may utilize the port 136as a power inlet port, or the power adapter/supply 216 may comprise adedicated charging port for recharging rechargeable batteries containedtherein.

The memory 220 may comprise a firmware section 224 and a data storagesection 228. The memory 220 may correspond to any type of non-transitorycomputer-readable medium. In some embodiments, the memory 220 maycomprise volatile or non-volatile memory and a controller for the same.Non-limiting examples of memory 220 that may be utilized in the snakecam 100 include RAM, ROM, buffer memory, flash memory, solid-statememory, or variants thereof.

The firmware section 224 may store any electronic data (includinginstructions) needed for operation of the snake cam 100. For example,the memory 220 may store any firmware needed for allowing the processor204 to operate and/or communicate with the various components of thesnake cam 100, as needed, and to communicate with one or more mobiledevices connected to the snake cam 100 via the wireless transceiver 208or the port 136.

The data storage section 228 may store any electronic data correspondingto images captured, and videos recorded, by the snake cam 100. Such datamay be regularly or intermittently downloaded or offloaded to a mobiledevice or external storage device connected to the snake cam 100 via thewireless transceiver 208 or the port 136, to ensure that the datastorage section 228 maintains enough free space within the memory 220 tostore newly captured photos or videos.

With reference now to FIG. 3 , a snake cam 300 according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure comprises a camera 304, a flexibleshaft 316, and a housing 320. The camera 304 may be the same as orsimilar to the camera 104, and may include a lens 108, one or more LEDlights 112, and a microphone 114. The flexible shaft 316 may also be thesame as or similar to the flexible shaft 116. The housing 320, on theother hand, may be substantially smaller than the housing 120, and maybe configured with minimal user interface elements. One benefit ofincluding fewer user interface elements is to enable the housing 320 tohave a reduced size. For example, the housing 320 may comprise an on/offswitch 128 and a port 136, but no other user interface elements. Thesnake cam 300 is intended to rely more heavily upon a connected device(whether a mobile device or other computing device, and whetherconnected via a port 136 or a wireless transceiver such as the wirelesstransceiver 208) to enable a user to use and control the snake cam 300.For example, while the snake cam 100 includes a screen 124 for use as aviewfinder for the camera 104 and possibly also for use in controllingone or more features of the snake cam 100, the snake cam 300 does notcomprise a screen. Instead, a display of a connected device may be usedas the viewfinder for the camera 304. Similarly, while the housing 120includes a button 132 for activating the shutter of the camera 104 (orfor starting or stopping a video recording or live video stream), thehousing 320 does not include a control for the camera 304. Instead, aconnected device may be used to send commands to the camera 304, via awireless transceiver of the snake cam 300, to take a picture or to startor stop a video recording or a live video feed. These are just examplesof some of the features that may be excluded from the snake cam 300 andinstead accessed, activated, or otherwise controlled using a connecteddevice. In various embodiments of the present disclosure, one or more ofthe foregoing elements may be included with the housing 320, while inother embodiments, these or other elements may be excluded from thehousing 320.

While the snake cam 300 generally includes fewer user interface elementsthan the snake cam 100, the snake cam 300 may nevertheless include mostor all of the other components of the snake cam 100 as depicted in FIG.2 . For example, the snake cam 300 may comprise a processor 204, acamera 104, LED lighting 112, a wireless transceiver 208, minimal userinterface elements 212 as discussed above, a port 136, a poweradapter/supply 216, and a memory 220, each of which may be the same asor similar to the corresponding components of the snake cam 100.

Referring now to FIG. 4 , a system 400 according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure may comprise a snake cam 100 that has been wirelesslypaired or otherwise connected with a mobile device 404. In one example,the mobile device 404 may be used to receive a live video feed from thesnake cam 100, or to receive a photograph taken by the snake cam 100 andtransmitted via the wireless transceiver 208. Additionally, the mobiledevice 404 may provide a link between the snake cam 100 and theInternet, so that a live video feed can be streamed to the Internet.Other aspects of the operation of the snake cam 100 may be controlleddirectly through the snake cam 100, and more particularly through theuser interface 212 thereof.

In another example, the mobile device 404 may be used in addition to orinstead of the user interface 212 of the snake cam 100 to control one ormore features of the snake cam 100. The mobile device 404 may be used,for example, to select whether activation of the button 132 will causethe snake cam 100 to take a picture, record a video, or stream a livevideo feed; to cause the snake cam 100 to take a picture, record avideo, stream a live video feed, or capture a screenshot of a recordedvideo or live video feed; to control whether the LED lights 112 are usedas a flash for the camera 104, as a flashlight, or are turned offaltogether; to control the zoom of the camera 104; to control the focusof the camera 104; as a viewfinder for the camera 104; to manage thedata storage section 228 of the snake cam 100; and to access, control oradjust any other feature or setting of the snake cam 100.

Turning now to FIG. 5 , a system 500 according to another embodiment ofthe present disclosure may comprise a snake cam 300 that has beenwirelessly connected or paired with a mobile device 404. Unlike with thesystem 400, because the snake cam 300 comprises fewer user interfaceelements than the snake cam 100, the various features of the snake cam300 cannot be accessed or controlled from the snake cam 300 itself.Instead, the snake cam 300 is controlled almost entirely through themobile device, which is connected to the snake cam 300 via a wirelesstransceiver 208. (Although, in some embodiments, the mobile device 404may be connected to the snake cam 300 via the port 136.) Thus, in thesystem 500, the mobile device 404 is used, for example, to selectwhether to take a picture, record a video, stream a live video feed, orcapture a screenshot of a recorded video or live video feed; to causethe snake cam 100 to take a picture, record a video, stream a live videofeed, or capture a screenshot of a recorded video or live video feed; tocontrol whether the LED lights 112 are used as a flash for the camera304, as a flashlight, or are turned off altogether; to control the zoomof the camera 304; to control the focus of the camera 304; as aviewfinder for the camera 304; to manage the data storage section 228 ofthe snake cam 300; and to control or adjust any other feature or settingof the snake cam 300.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a mobile device application 600 accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure. The mobile deviceapplication 600 may be stored in a memory of a mobile device 404, andmay comprise instructions for execution by a processor of the mobiledevice 404. In particular, the mobile device application 600 may storeinstructions in three modules: a camera control module 604, an imagestorage module 608, and a viewer module 612.

The camera control module 604 may comprise instructions for execution bythe processor of the mobile device that, when executed, cause the mobiledevice processor to present, to a user of the mobile device 404 andthrough a display of the mobile device 404, a graphical user interfacethrough which the user can access or control one or more features of aconnected snake cam 100 or 300. For example, the camera control module604 may allow the user to control, via the mobile device, any of thefeatures described herein, or any other camera features configured to becontrolled by the user. Additionally, the camera control module 604 mayallow the user to operate a connected snake cam 100 or 300, including bycausing the camera 104 or 304 to take a picture, record a video, streama live feed, or capture a screenshot of a recorded video or live videofeed. The camera control module 604 may also allow the display of themobile device 404 to be used as a viewfinder for the camera 104 or 304.

The image storage module 608 may comprise instructions for execution bythe mobile device processor that, when executed, cause the mobile deviceprocessor to present to the user, via the display of the mobile device404, a graphical user interface through which the user can control thestorage of images (whether pictures or video) captured by the snake cam100 or 300. The image storage module 608 may be configured, for example,to allow a user to select a storage location for images captured by thesnake cam 100 or 300, or to allow a user to move an image file from onelocation to another. The available storage locations may be locations inthe memory of the mobile device, or they may be locations in the memoryof the snake cam 100 or 300, or they may be locations in the memory of adevice connected to the snake cam 100 or 300 via a port 136, or they maybe locations accessible via a Wi-Fi, cellular, or other networkconnection.

The viewer module 612 may comprise instructions for execution by themobile device processor that, when executed, cause the mobile deviceprocessor to present to the user, via the display of the mobile device404, a graphical user interface through which the user can view a livevideo feed from the snake cam 100 or 300, and/or a captured image(whether a picture or a video) stored in the memory of the snake cam 100or 300, in a memory of the mobile device 404, in a memory attached tothe snake cam 100 or 300 via a port 136, or in a memory accessible via anetwork connection.

Although described separately, the camera control module 604, the imagestorage module 608, and the viewer module 612 may compriseinterdependent instructions that, when executed by a mobile deviceprocessor, result in the presentation to the user via a display of themobile device 404 of a graphical user interface through which thespecific functions of each of the modules 604, 608, and 612 may beaccessed. For example, in some embodiments the viewer module 612 mayinclude instructions for allowing a user to use the mobile device 404 asa viewfinder for a connected snake cam 100 or 300, while the cameracontrol module 604 may include instructions for allowing a user to causethe camera 104 or 304 of a connected snake cam 100 or 300 to zoom in orout, while the display of the mobile device 404 is still being used as aviewfinder.

FIG. 7 depicts a snake cam 700 according to yet another embodiment ofthe present disclosure. The snake cam 700 may comprise components thatare the same as or similar to the components of the snake cam 100 or300. For example, the snake cam 700 may comprise a camera 104 (or 304),including a lens 108, one or more LED lights 112, and a microphone 114;and a housing 120 or 320. As shown, the snake cam 700 comprises ahousing 120, including a display or screen 124, an on/off slider switch128, a button 132, and a port 136. However, the snake cam 700 may alsocomprise a housing 320 that does not include a button 132, a display124, or one or more other features of the housing 120.

The primary difference between the snake cam 700 and the snake cams 100and 300 is that the snake cams 100 and 300 have flexible shafts 116,while the snake cam 700 comprises a fixed shaft 716. The fixed shaft 716may be extendible (whether in a telescoping fashion, an accordionfashion, or otherwise), but is not intended to be bent. The fixed shaft716 may be made of plastic, metal or any other substantially rigidmaterial. The fixed shaft 716 beneficially allows a user of the snakecam 700 to ensure that the camera 104 or 304 remains in a substantiallyfixed location relative to the housing 120 or 320, which may not bepossible with the flexible shaft 116. For example, a snake cam 100 or300 with a flexible shaft 116 may not be well-suited for use in anobstacle-rich environment where the camera 104 or 304, or the shaft 116,may contact an obstacle while the snake cam 100 or 300 is being movedinto position, which may cause a shaft 116 to move relative to thehousing 120 or 320. However, a snake cam 700 with a substantially rigidshaft 716 may be less likely to move into a different position as aresult of such a contact.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the camera 104 or 304, orat least an operative portion thereof, may be adjustably mounted to theflexible shaft 116 or to the rigid shaft 716, so that the orientation ofthe camera relative to the flexible shaft 116 or rigid shaft 716 may beadjusted. Additionally, one or more servos and/or actuating rods may beoperatively connected to the camera 104 or 304, or to one or moreinternal components of the camera 104 or 304, so as to allow for remotemovement of the camera 104 or 304. Such remote movement may be commandedthrough a user interface of the housing 120, or through a mobile devicethat is in wireless or wired communication with a housing 120 or 320.This feature, where included in embodiments of the present disclosure,beneficially allows a user of a snake cam 100, 300, or 700 to pan, tilt,and/or rotate the camera 104 or 304 while the snake cam 100, 300, or 700is being used, without having to remove the snake cam 100, 300, or 700from its place of use and without having to move the housing 120 or 320.This feature may be particularly helpful, for example, when the snakecam 100, 300, or 700 is being used to search for an object in adifficult-to-access location, as a user can place the snake cam 100,300, or 700 in position and then pan, tilt, rotate, or otherwisemanipulate the position of the camera 104 or 304 without having torepeatedly remove the snake cam 100 or 300 and manually readjust thecamera 104 or 304.

A number of variations and modifications of the foregoing disclosure canbe used. It would be possible to provide for some features of thedisclosure without providing others.

Although the present disclosure describes components and functionsimplemented in the aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations withreference to particular standards and protocols, the aspects,embodiments, and/or configurations are not limited to such standards andprotocols. Other similar standards and protocols not mentioned hereinare in existence and are considered to be included in the presentdisclosure. Moreover, the standards and protocols mentioned herein andother similar standards and protocols not mentioned herein areperiodically superseded by faster or more effective equivalents havingessentially the same functions. Such replacement standards and protocolshaving the same functions are considered equivalents included in thepresent disclosure.

The present disclosure, in various aspects, embodiments, and/orconfigurations, includes components, methods, processes, systems and/orapparatus substantially as depicted and described herein, includingvarious aspects, embodiments, configurations embodiments,subcombinations, and/or subsets thereof. Those of skill in the art willunderstand how to make and use the disclosed aspects, embodiments,and/or configurations after understanding the present disclosure. Thepresent disclosure, in various aspects, embodiments, and/orconfigurations, includes providing devices and processes in the absenceof items not depicted and/or described herein or in various aspects,embodiments, and/or configurations hereof, including in the absence ofsuch items as may have been used in previous devices or processes, e.g.,for improving performance, achieving ease and/or reducing cost ofimplementation.

The foregoing discussion has been presented for purposes of illustrationand description. The foregoing is not intended to limit the disclosureto the form or forms disclosed herein. In the foregoing DetailedDescription, for example, various features of the disclosure are groupedtogether in one or more aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations forthe purpose of streamlining the disclosure. The features of the aspects,embodiments, and/or configurations of the disclosure may be combined inalternate aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations other than thosediscussed above. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that the claims require more features than areexpressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claimsreflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a singleforegoing disclosed aspect, embodiment, and/or configuration. Thus, thefollowing claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description,with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodimentof the disclosure.

Moreover, though the description has included description of one or moreaspects, embodiments, and/or configurations and certain variations andmodifications, other variations, combinations, and modifications arewithin the scope of the disclosure, e.g., as may be within the skill andknowledge of those in the art, after understanding the presentdisclosure. It is intended to obtain rights which include alternativeaspects, embodiments, and/or configurations to the extent permitted,including alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures,functions, ranges or steps to those claimed, whether or not suchalternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions,ranges or steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publiclydedicate any patentable subject matter.

Examples of the processors as described herein may include, but are notlimited to, at least one of Qualcomm® Snapdragon® 800 and 801, Qualcomm®Snapdragon® 610 and 615 with 4G LTE Integration and 64-bit computing,Apple® A7 processor with 64-bit architecture, Apple® M7 motioncoprocessors, Samsung® Exynos® series, the Intel® Core™ family ofprocessors, the Intel® Xeon® family of processors, the Intel® Atom™family of processors, the Intel Itanium® family of processors, Intel®Core® i5-4670K and i7-4770K 22 nm Haswell, Intel® Core® i5-3570K 22 nmIvy Bridge, the AMD® FX™ family of processors, AMD® FX-4300, FX-6300,and FX-8350 32 nm Vishera, AMD® Kaveri processors, Texas Instruments®Jacinto C6000™ automotive infotainment processors, Texas Instruments®OMAP™ automotive-grade mobile processors, ARM® Cortex™-M processors, andARM® Cortex-A and ARM926EJ-S™ processorss. A processor as disclosedherein may perform computational functions using any known orfuture-developed standard, instruction set, libraries, and/orarchitecture.

I claim:
 1. A snake cam comprising: a camera comprising one or moreservos operably connected to the camera; a housing comprising: aprocessor; a wireless transceiver; at least one user interface element;and a memory storing instructions for execution by the processor that,when executed, cause the processor to: control at least one of a zoom ora focus of the camera; and control the one or more servos to remotelymove the camera; a flexible shaft connecting the camera to the housing,the flexible shaft comprising a plurality of pieces hingedly connectedto one another; at least one light emitting diode; a light sensorconfigured to automatically control the at least one light; and adisplay screen configured to display one or more controls forcontrolling the at least one light emitting diode.
 2. The snake cam ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one light emitting diode provides a flashfor the camera.
 3. The snake cam of claim 1, wherein the at least onelight emitting diode can be turned on and off by a user of the snakecam.
 4. The snake cam of claim 1, wherein the camera is configured totake pictures and record video.
 5. The snake cam of claim 1, wherein theat least one user interface element includes a display screen.
 6. Thesnake cam of claim 5, wherein the display screen is configured as aviewfinder for the camera.
 7. The snake cam of claim 5, wherein thedisplay screen is a touchscreen, and further wherein the display screencan be used to adjust at least one feature or setting of the camera. 8.The snake cam of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver is configuredto utilize a Bluetooth protocol.
 9. A snake cam system, comprising: amobile device comprising a first processor, a first memory, and adisplay screen; and a snake cam comprising: a camera comprising one ormore servos operably connected to the camera; a housing comprising: asecond processor; a wireless transceiver; at least one user interfaceelement; a second memory storing instructions for execution by thesecond processor that, when executed, cause the second processor to:control at least one of a zoom or a focus of the camera; and control theone or more servos to remotely move the camera; a flexible shaftconnecting the camera to the housing, the flexible shaft comprising aplurality of pieces hingedly connected to one another; and at least onelight emitting diode; and a display screen configured to display one ormore controls for controlling the at least one light emitting diode,wherein the snake cam is in wireless communication with the mobiledevice via the wireless transceiver.
 10. The snake cam system of claim9, wherein the wireless communication utilizes a Bluetooth protocol. 11.The snake cam system of claim 9, wherein the shaft is hollow.
 12. Thesnake cam system of claim 9, wherein the shaft comprises at least one ofmetal, plastic, and rubber.
 13. The snake cam system of claim 9, whereinthe first memory stores instructions for execution by the firstprocessor that, when executed by the first processor, cause the firstprocessor to: transmit a control signal to the second processor, via thewireless transceiver, that causes the second processor to cause thecamera to take a picture or record a video.
 14. The snake cam system ofclaim 9, wherein the first memory stores a mobile application, themobile application comprising a camera control module, an image storagemodule, and a viewer module.
 15. A camera device comprising: a cameramounted on a first end of a flexible shaft, the camera comprising a lensand at least one LED light; and a housing connected to a second end ofthe flexible shaft, the housing comprising a processor, a memory, and awireless transceiver configured to utilize a Bluetooth protocol, whereinthe memory stores instructions for execution by the processor that, whenexecuted by the processor, cause the processor to control one of aplurality of functions, the plurality of functions including: adjustinga zoom of the camera; switching the camera from a picture-taking mode toa video-recording mode; causing the camera to take a picture, to startrecording a video, or to stop recording a video; and adjusting a focusof the camera.
 16. The camera device of claim 15, wherein the housingcomprises a user interface for causing the processor to control one ofthe plurality of functions.
 17. The camera device of claim 15, whereinthe processor controls one of the plurality of functions based on asignal received via the wireless transceiver.
 18. The camera device ofclaim 15, wherein LED light operates as a flash for the camera.
 19. Thecamera device of claim 15, wherein the plurality of functions furtherincludes: transmitting a video feed from the camera via the wirelesstransceiver.
 20. A snake cam system, comprising: a mobile devicecomprising a first processor, a first memory, and a display screen; anda snake cam comprising: a camera comprising one or more servos operablyconnected to the camera; a housing comprising: a second processor; awireless transceiver; at least one user interface element; and a secondmemory storing instructions for execution by the second processor that,when executed, cause the second processor to: control at least one of azoom or a focus of the camera; and control the one or more servos toremotely move the camera; a flexible shaft connecting the camera to thehousing, the flexible shaft comprising a plurality of pieces hingedlyconnected to one another; at least one light emitting diode; and adisplay screen configured to display one or more controls forcontrolling the at least one light emitting diode, wherein the snake camis in wireless communication with the mobile device via the wirelesstransceiver.